RENO COUNTY—One person has died after a car fire in Reno County.

Just before 2:30p.m. Friday, deputies were dispatched to the area of the 2000 Block of east Parallel Road for a vehicle that was driving in and out of the ditch, according to a media release.

 While Deputies were responding to the scene dispatch advised that the vehicle was stuck in the ditch and a female passenger was able to get out of the car but the driver was trying to get the vehicle out of the ditch. 

 The vehicle then caught fire while the driver was still inside. At this time others who were on scene attempted to pull the driver out of the car but they were unable to get him out. 

 As the vehicle fire grew there was then an explosion from the vehicle and it became fully involved with fire.  The driver was still inside of the vehicle and was ultimately consumed by the fire. 

A&nbsp;passerby who attempted to remove the driver from the vehicle received injuries from the fire and is being treated for these injuries.

The sheriff's department has not released the identity of the driver until investigators make a positive identification.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660347092853.png" alt="Photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY—One person has died after a car fire in Reno County.Just before 2:30p.m. Friday, deputies were dispatched to the area of the 2000 Block of east Parallel Road for a vehicle that was driving in and out of the ditch, according to a media release. While Deputies were responding to the scene dispatch advised that the vehicle was stuck in the ditch and a female passenger was able to get out of the car but the driver was trying to get the vehicle out of the ditch. The vehicle then caught fire while the driver was still inside. At this time others who were on scene attempted to pull the driver out of the car but they were unable to get him out. As the vehicle fire grew there was then an explosion from the vehicle and it became fully involved with fire. The driver was still inside of the vehicle and was ultimately consumed by the fire. A&nbsp;passerby who attempted to remove the driver from the vehicle received injuries from the fire and is being treated for these injuries.The sheriff's department has not released the identity of the driver until investigators make a positive identification.

Sheriff: One dead after Kansas car fire, explosion 

WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Congress gave final approval Friday to Democrats'&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-health-seniors-medicare-economy-68f2df858de98487e82e236ab31fab7e">flagship climate and health care bill</a>, handing President Joe Biden a back-from-the-dead triumph on coveted priorities that the party hopes will bolster their prospects for keeping their hold on Congress in November's elections.

The House used a party-line 220-207 vote to pass the legislation, which is but a shadow of the larger, more ambitious plan to supercharge environment and social programs that Biden and his party envisioned early last year. Even so, Democrats happily declared victory on top-tier goals like providing Congress’ largest ever investment in curbing carbon emissions, reining in pharmaceutical costs and taxing large companies, a vote they believe will show they can wring accomplishments from a routinely gridlocked Washington that often disillusions voters.

“Today is a day of celebration, a day we take another giant step in our momentous agenda," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. She said the measure “meets the moment, ensuring that our families thrive and that our planet survives.”

Republicans solidly opposed the legislation, calling it a cornucopia of wasteful liberal daydreams that would raise taxes and families' living costs. They did the same Sunday but Senate Democrats banded together and used Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreaking vote t&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-climate-tax-deal-vote-dbdb3107c4c5e3e0e5af8a58d56c7bc1">o power the measure</a>&nbsp;through that 50-50 chamber.

“Democrats, more than any other majority in history, are addicted to spending other people’s money, regardless of what we as a country can afford,” said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. “I can almost see glee in their eyes.”

Biden's initial 10-year, $3.5 trillion proposal also envisioned free prekindergarten, paid family and medical leave, expanded Medicare benefits and eased immigration restrictions.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/manchin-rejects-biden-spending-bill-democrats-election-e7a0ca4c25c686e91cb21e166c44821b">That crashed</a>&nbsp;after centrist Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said it was too costly, using the leverage every Democrat has in the evenly-divided Senate.

Still, the final legislation remained substantive. Its pillar is about $375 billion over 10 years to encourage industry and consumers to shift from carbon-emitting to cleaner forms of energy. That includes $4 billion to cope with the West's catastrophic drought.

Spending, tax credits and loans would bolster technology like solar panels, consumer efforts to improve home energy efficiency, emission-reducing equipment for coal- and gas-powered power plants and air pollution controls for farms, ports and low-income communities.

Another $64 billion would help 13 million people pay premiums over the next three years for privately bought health insurance. Medicare would gain the power to negotiate its costs for pharmaceuticals, initially in 2026 for only 10 drugs. Medicare beneficiaries' out-of-pocket prescription costs would be limited to $2,000 starting in 2025, and beginning next year would pay no more than $35 monthly for insulin, the costly diabetes drug.

The bill would raise around $740 billion in revenue over the decade, over a third from government savings from lower drug prices. More would flow from higher taxes on some $1 billion corporations, levies on companies that repurchase their own stock and stronger IRS tax collections. About $300 billion would remain to defray budget deficits, a sliver of the period's projected $16 trillion total.

Against the backdrop of GOP attacks on the FBI for its court-empowered search of former President Donald Trump's Florida estate for sensitive documents, Republicans repeatedly savaged the bill's boost to the IRS budget. That is aimed at collecting an estimated $120 billion in unpaid taxes over the coming decade, and Republicans have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-ap-fact-check-congress-government-and-politics-11eae023a3dc3a04584371843234cab7">misleadingly claimed</a>&nbsp;that the IRS will hire 87,000 agents to target average families.

Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., said Democrats would also “weaponize” the IRS with agents, “many of whom will be trained in the use of deadly force, to go after any American citizen.” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, asked Thursday on “Fox and Friends" if there would be an IRS “strike force that goes in with AK-15s already loaded, ready to shoot some small business person."

Few IRS personnel are armed, and Democrats say the bill's $80 billion, 10-year budget increase would be to replace waves of retirees, not just agents, and modernize equipment. They have said typical families and small businesses would not be targeted, with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen directing the IRS this week to not “increase the share of small business or households below the $400,000 threshold" that would be audited.

Republicans say the legislation’s new business taxes will increase prices, worsening the nation’s bout with its worst inflation since 1981. Though Democrats have labeled the measure the Inflation Reduction Act, nonpartisan analysts say it will have a barely perceptible impact on prices.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-ap-fact-check-congress-government-and-politics-11eae023a3dc3a04584371843234cab7">GOP also says the bill would raise taxes on lower- and middle-income families</a>. An analysis by Congress' nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation, which didn't include the bill's tax breaks for health care and energy, estimated that the corporate tax boosts would marginally affect those taxpayers but indirectly, partly due to lower stock prices and wages.

The bill caps three months in which Congress has approved legislation on veterans' benefits, the semiconductor industry, gun checks for young buyers and Ukraine's invasion by Russia and adding Sweden and Finland to NATO. All passed with bipartisan support, suggesting Republicans also want to display their productive side.

It's unclear whether voters will reward Democrats for the legislation after months of painfully high inflation dominating voters' attention and Biden's dangerously low popularity with the public and a steady history of midterm elections that batter the party holding the White House.

The bill had its roots in early 2021, after Congress approved a $1.9 trillion measure over GOP opposition to combat the pandemic-induced economic downturn. Emboldened, the new president and his party reached further.

They called their $3.5 trillion plan Build Back Better. Besides social and environment initiatives, it proposed rolling back Trump-era tax breaks for the rich and corporations and $555 billion for climate efforts, well above the resources in Friday's legislation.

With Manchin opposing those amounts, it was sliced to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-immigration-joe-biden-health-lifestyle-bff841da156cb12cd47a564f9e0267eb">a roughly $2 trillion measure that Democrats moved through the House in November</a>. He unexpectedly sank that bill too, earning scorn from exasperated fellow Democrats from Capitol Hill and the White House.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-joe-manchin-congress-government-and-politics-29a6a2cca519d402a54652d12881787f">Last gasp talks between Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.,</a>&nbsp;seemed fruitless until&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-biden-sports-congress-e499871130fa9881beb0618ebddfe88c">the two unexpectedly</a>&nbsp;announced agreement last month on the new package.

Manchin won billions for carbon capture technology for the fossil fuel industries he champions, plus procedures for more oil drilling on federal lands and promises for faster energy project permitting.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-kyrsten-sinema-joe-manchin-congress-c0d40a6f2490b2613a690995daca7e11">Centrist Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz.,</a>&nbsp;also won concessions, eliminating planned higher taxes on hedge fund managers and helping win the drought funds.

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-health-seniors-medicare-economy-68f2df858de98487e82e236ab31fab7e">A flagship Democratic economic bill</a>&nbsp;perched on the edge of House passage Friday, placing President Joe Biden on the brink of a back-from-the-dead triumph on goals for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-science-congress-climate-and-environment-f084d23d61ebb068068d4aa92c82fdbb?taid=62f52f2bdcbb3b0001bb2286&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter">the climate</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-seniors-medicare-prescription-drug-costs-drugs-8aaa8fd3959c1da5fba5b5a352b6afb0">health care</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-manchin-congress-internal-revenue-service-government-and-politics-dd2e6eaeb914eea553615e231332f3fb">taxes</a>&nbsp;that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-united-states-trending-news-climate-and-environment-385328acb81f3bd07f225b73db748cab">could energize his party</a>&nbsp;ahead of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-biden-us-supreme-court-health-dc870c873aec72e5c266133a01694aa3">November’s elections</a>.

Democrats were poised to muscle the measure through the narrowly divided House Friday over solid Republican opposition. They employed similar party unity and Vice President Kamala Harris' tiebreaking vote Sunday to power the measure through the 50-50 Senate.

The package is but a shadow of Biden's initial vision and was produced only after a year of often bitter infighting between party leaders, progressives and centrists led by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., empowered by that chamber's even split. Ultimately, Democrats thirsty to declare victory forged a compromise on abiding goals like reining in pharmaceutical costs,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-biden-kyrsten-sinema-congress-399fcec95d37d5b0b9a197ed4c8d33fa">taxing large companies</a>&nbsp;and, especially, curbing carbon emissions. They are hoping to show they can wring accomplishments from an often fractiously gridlocked Washington that alienates many voters.

“Climate is a health issue. It’s a jobs issue. It’s a security issue. And it’s a values issue for us," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters this week. “I want more, of course, we always want more, but this is a great deal.”

The bill's pillar is about $375 billion over 10 years to encourage industry and consumers to shift from carbon-emitting to cleaner forms of energy, hailed by experts as Congress' biggest climate investment ever. That includes $4 billion added to cope with the West's catastrophic drought.

In a pair of top Democratic health priorities, another $64 billion would help 13 million people pay premiums over the next three years for privately bought health insurance. Medicare would gain the power to negotiate its costs for pharmaceuticals, initially in 2026 for only 10 drugs. Medicare beneficiaries' out-of-pocket prescription costs would be limited to $2,000 starting in 2025, and starting next year they would pay no more than $35 monthly for insulin, the costly diabetes drug.

The bill would raise around $740 billion in revenue over the decade, over a third from government savings from lower drug prices. More would flow from higher taxes on some $1 billion corporations, levies on companies that repurchase their own stock and stronger IRS tax collections. About $300 billion would remain to defray budget deficits, a fraction of the period's projected total of $16 trillion.

Republicans say the legislation's tax increases will force companies to raise prices, worsening the nation's bout with its worst inflation since 1981 that is wounding Democrats' election prospects. Nonpartisan analysts say the measure will have negligible inflation impact one way or the other.

Echoing other culture war themes, the GOP has criticized initiatives like tax breaks for clean energy and electric vehicles as wasteful liberal daydreams. “If the Green New Deal and corporate welfare had a baby, it would look like this,” said Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, the House Ways and Means Committee's top Republican.

Republicans say Democrats' plan to expand the IRS budget, aimed at collecting about $120 billion in unpaid taxes, envisions 87,000 agents who'd be coming after families. Democrats called foul, saying their $80 billion IRS budget boost would be to replace waves of retirees, not just agents, and to modernize equipment, and say families and small businesses earning below $400,000 annually would not be targeted.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-ap-fact-check-congress-government-and-politics-11eae023a3dc3a04584371843234cab7">GOP also says the bill would raise taxes on lower- and middle-income families</a>. An analysis by Congress' nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation, which didn't include the bill's tax breaks for health care and energy, estimated that the corporate tax boosts would marginally affect those taxpayers, partly due to lower stock prices and wages.

The bill caps a fertile three months in which Congress has voted to improve veterans’ health benefits, gird the semiconductor industry, moderately strengthen gun restrictions for younger buyers, finance Ukraine's war with Russia and add Finland and Sweden to NATO. All passed with bipartisan support, suggesting Republicans also want to display their productive side.

It's unclear voters will reward Democrats for the legislation after months of painfully high inflation dominating voters' attention. Though record gasoline prices have dipped, Biden's popularity dangles damagingly low and midterm elections have a consistent history of ending careers of lawmakers from the party that holds the White House.

Democrats' economic bill had its roots in early 2021, after Congress approved a $1.9 trillion measure over GOP opposition to combat the pandemic-induced economic downturn. Emboldened, the new president and his party reached further.

They initially produced an ambitious 10-year, $3.5 trillion environment and social plan they called Build Back Better. It featured free prekindergarten, paid family and medical leave, expanded Medicare benefits, increases for education and housing and an easing of immigration restrictions. It sought to roll back Trump-era tax breaks for the rich and corporations and proposed $555 billion for climate efforts, well above the resources in Friday's legislation.

With Manchin opposing those amounts, it was sliced to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-immigration-joe-biden-health-lifestyle-bff841da156cb12cd47a564f9e0267eb">a roughly $2 trillion measure that Democrats moved through the House in November</a>. Just before Christmas, Manchin unexpectedly sank that bill, citing fears of inflation and international uncertainty and earning brickbats from exasperated fellow Democrats from Capitol Hill and the White House.

With&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-joe-manchin-congress-government-and-politics-29a6a2cca519d402a54652d12881787f">on-and-off closed-door talks between Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.,</a>&nbsp;seemingly dying, the two lawmakers shocked Washington and announced agreement last month on the new, pared-down package.

Manchin won billions for carbon capture technology for the fossil fuel industries he champions, plus procedures for more oil drilling on federal lands and promises for faster energy project permitting.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-kyrsten-sinema-joe-manchin-congress-c0d40a6f2490b2613a690995daca7e11">Centrist Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz.,</a>&nbsp;also used her leverage for late concessions, eliminating planned higher taxes on hedge fund managers and helping win the drought funds.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660327472444.png" alt=""By reducing the cost of prescription drugs and health care, while taking bold action on climate, House Democrats passing this bill today puts people over politics," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>"By reducing the cost of prescription drugs and health care, while taking bold action on climate, House Democrats passing this bill today puts people over politics," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Congress gave final approval Friday to Democrats'&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-health-seniors-medicare-economy-68f2df858de98487e82e236ab31fab7e">flagship climate and health care bill</a>, handing President Joe Biden a back-from-the-dead triumph on coveted priorities that the party hopes will bolster their prospects for keeping their hold on Congress in November's elections.The House used a party-line 220-207 vote to pass the legislation, which is but a shadow of the larger, more ambitious plan to supercharge environment and social programs that Biden and his party envisioned early last year. Even so, Democrats happily declared victory on top-tier goals like providing Congress’ largest ever investment in curbing carbon emissions, reining in pharmaceutical costs and taxing large companies, a vote they believe will show they can wring accomplishments from a routinely gridlocked Washington that often disillusions voters.“Today is a day of celebration, a day we take another giant step in our momentous agenda," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. She said the measure “meets the moment, ensuring that our families thrive and that our planet survives.”Republicans solidly opposed the legislation, calling it a cornucopia of wasteful liberal daydreams that would raise taxes and families' living costs. They did the same Sunday but Senate Democrats banded together and used Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreaking vote t&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/senate-climate-tax-deal-vote-dbdb3107c4c5e3e0e5af8a58d56c7bc1">o power the measure</a>&nbsp;through that 50-50 chamber.“Democrats, more than any other majority in history, are addicted to spending other people’s money, regardless of what we as a country can afford,” said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. “I can almost see glee in their eyes.”Biden's initial 10-year, $3.5 trillion proposal also envisioned free prekindergarten, paid family and medical leave, expanded Medicare benefits and eased immigration restrictions.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/manchin-rejects-biden-spending-bill-democrats-election-e7a0ca4c25c686e91cb21e166c44821b">That crashed</a>&nbsp;after centrist Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said it was too costly, using the leverage every Democrat has in the evenly-divided Senate.Still, the final legislation remained substantive. Its pillar is about $375 billion over 10 years to encourage industry and consumers to shift from carbon-emitting to cleaner forms of energy. That includes $4 billion to cope with the West's catastrophic drought.Spending, tax credits and loans would bolster technology like solar panels, consumer efforts to improve home energy efficiency, emission-reducing equipment for coal- and gas-powered power plants and air pollution controls for farms, ports and low-income communities.Another $64 billion would help 13 million people pay premiums over the next three years for privately bought health insurance. Medicare would gain the power to negotiate its costs for pharmaceuticals, initially in 2026 for only 10 drugs. Medicare beneficiaries' out-of-pocket prescription costs would be limited to $2,000 starting in 2025, and beginning next year would pay no more than $35 monthly for insulin, the costly diabetes drug.The bill would raise around $740 billion in revenue over the decade, over a third from government savings from lower drug prices. More would flow from higher taxes on some $1 billion corporations, levies on companies that repurchase their own stock and stronger IRS tax collections. About $300 billion would remain to defray budget deficits, a sliver of the period's projected $16 trillion total.Against the backdrop of GOP attacks on the FBI for its court-empowered search of former President Donald Trump's Florida estate for sensitive documents, Republicans repeatedly savaged the bill's boost to the IRS budget. That is aimed at collecting an estimated $120 billion in unpaid taxes over the coming decade, and Republicans have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-ap-fact-check-congress-government-and-politics-11eae023a3dc3a04584371843234cab7">misleadingly claimed</a>&nbsp;that the IRS will hire 87,000 agents to target average families.Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., said Democrats would also “weaponize” the IRS with agents, “many of whom will be trained in the use of deadly force, to go after any American citizen.” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, asked Thursday on “Fox and Friends" if there would be an IRS “strike force that goes in with AK-15s already loaded, ready to shoot some small business person."Few IRS personnel are armed, and Democrats say the bill's $80 billion, 10-year budget increase would be to replace waves of retirees, not just agents, and modernize equipment. They have said typical families and small businesses would not be targeted, with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen directing the IRS this week to not “increase the share of small business or households below the $400,000 threshold" that would be audited.Republicans say the legislation’s new business taxes will increase prices, worsening the nation’s bout with its worst inflation since 1981. Though Democrats have labeled the measure the Inflation Reduction Act, nonpartisan analysts say it will have a barely perceptible impact on prices.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-ap-fact-check-congress-government-and-politics-11eae023a3dc3a04584371843234cab7">GOP also says the bill would raise taxes on lower- and middle-income families</a>. An analysis by Congress' nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation, which didn't include the bill's tax breaks for health care and energy, estimated that the corporate tax boosts would marginally affect those taxpayers but indirectly, partly due to lower stock prices and wages.The bill caps three months in which Congress has approved legislation on veterans' benefits, the semiconductor industry, gun checks for young buyers and Ukraine's invasion by Russia and adding Sweden and Finland to NATO. All passed with bipartisan support, suggesting Republicans also want to display their productive side.It's unclear whether voters will reward Democrats for the legislation after months of painfully high inflation dominating voters' attention and Biden's dangerously low popularity with the public and a steady history of midterm elections that batter the party holding the White House.The bill had its roots in early 2021, after Congress approved a $1.9 trillion measure over GOP opposition to combat the pandemic-induced economic downturn. Emboldened, the new president and his party reached further.They called their $3.5 trillion plan Build Back Better. Besides social and environment initiatives, it proposed rolling back Trump-era tax breaks for the rich and corporations and $555 billion for climate efforts, well above the resources in Friday's legislation.With Manchin opposing those amounts, it was sliced to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-immigration-joe-biden-health-lifestyle-bff841da156cb12cd47a564f9e0267eb">a roughly $2 trillion measure that Democrats moved through the House in November</a>. He unexpectedly sank that bill too, earning scorn from exasperated fellow Democrats from Capitol Hill and the White House.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-joe-manchin-congress-government-and-politics-29a6a2cca519d402a54652d12881787f">Last gasp talks between Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.,</a>&nbsp;seemed fruitless until&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-biden-sports-congress-e499871130fa9881beb0618ebddfe88c">the two unexpectedly</a>&nbsp;announced agreement last month on the new package.Manchin won billions for carbon capture technology for the fossil fuel industries he champions, plus procedures for more oil drilling on federal lands and promises for faster energy project permitting.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-kyrsten-sinema-joe-manchin-congress-c0d40a6f2490b2613a690995daca7e11">Centrist Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz.,</a>&nbsp;also won concessions, eliminating planned higher taxes on hedge fund managers and helping win the drought funds.-----WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-health-seniors-medicare-economy-68f2df858de98487e82e236ab31fab7e">A flagship Democratic economic bill</a>&nbsp;perched on the edge of House passage Friday, placing President Joe Biden on the brink of a back-from-the-dead triumph on goals for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-science-congress-climate-and-environment-f084d23d61ebb068068d4aa92c82fdbb?taid=62f52f2bdcbb3b0001bb2286&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter">the climate</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-seniors-medicare-prescription-drug-costs-drugs-8aaa8fd3959c1da5fba5b5a352b6afb0">health care</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-manchin-congress-internal-revenue-service-government-and-politics-dd2e6eaeb914eea553615e231332f3fb">taxes</a>&nbsp;that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-united-states-trending-news-climate-and-environment-385328acb81f3bd07f225b73db748cab">could energize his party</a>&nbsp;ahead of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-biden-us-supreme-court-health-dc870c873aec72e5c266133a01694aa3">November’s elections</a>.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660308855735.png" alt="House Speaker Nancy Pelosi enters her news conference on Capitol Hill, Thursday-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>House Speaker Nancy Pelosi enters her news conference on Capitol Hill, Thursday-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>Democrats were poised to muscle the measure through the narrowly divided House Friday over solid Republican opposition. They employed similar party unity and Vice President Kamala Harris' tiebreaking vote Sunday to power the measure through the 50-50 Senate.The package is but a shadow of Biden's initial vision and was produced only after a year of often bitter infighting between party leaders, progressives and centrists led by Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., empowered by that chamber's even split. Ultimately, Democrats thirsty to declare victory forged a compromise on abiding goals like reining in pharmaceutical costs,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-biden-kyrsten-sinema-congress-399fcec95d37d5b0b9a197ed4c8d33fa">taxing large companies</a>&nbsp;and, especially, curbing carbon emissions. They are hoping to show they can wring accomplishments from an often fractiously gridlocked Washington that alienates many voters.“Climate is a health issue. It’s a jobs issue. It’s a security issue. And it’s a values issue for us," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters this week. “I want more, of course, we always want more, but this is a great deal.”The bill's pillar is about $375 billion over 10 years to encourage industry and consumers to shift from carbon-emitting to cleaner forms of energy, hailed by experts as Congress' biggest climate investment ever. That includes $4 billion added to cope with the West's catastrophic drought.Spending, tax credits and loans would bolster technology like solar panels, consumer efforts to improve home energy efficiency, emission-reducing equipment for coal- and gas-powered power plants and air pollution controls for farms, ports and low-income communities.In a pair of top Democratic health priorities, another $64 billion would help 13 million people pay premiums over the next three years for privately bought health insurance. Medicare would gain the power to negotiate its costs for pharmaceuticals, initially in 2026 for only 10 drugs. Medicare beneficiaries' out-of-pocket prescription costs would be limited to $2,000 starting in 2025, and starting next year they would pay no more than $35 monthly for insulin, the costly diabetes drug.The bill would raise around $740 billion in revenue over the decade, over a third from government savings from lower drug prices. More would flow from higher taxes on some $1 billion corporations, levies on companies that repurchase their own stock and stronger IRS tax collections. About $300 billion would remain to defray budget deficits, a fraction of the period's projected total of $16 trillion.Republicans say the legislation's tax increases will force companies to raise prices, worsening the nation's bout with its worst inflation since 1981 that is wounding Democrats' election prospects. Nonpartisan analysts say the measure will have negligible inflation impact one way or the other.Echoing other culture war themes, the GOP has criticized initiatives like tax breaks for clean energy and electric vehicles as wasteful liberal daydreams. “If the Green New Deal and corporate welfare had a baby, it would look like this,” said Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, the House Ways and Means Committee's top Republican.Republicans say Democrats' plan to expand the IRS budget, aimed at collecting about $120 billion in unpaid taxes, envisions 87,000 agents who'd be coming after families. Democrats called foul, saying their $80 billion IRS budget boost would be to replace waves of retirees, not just agents, and to modernize equipment, and say families and small businesses earning below $400,000 annually would not be targeted.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-ap-fact-check-congress-government-and-politics-11eae023a3dc3a04584371843234cab7">GOP also says the bill would raise taxes on lower- and middle-income families</a>. An analysis by Congress' nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation, which didn't include the bill's tax breaks for health care and energy, estimated that the corporate tax boosts would marginally affect those taxpayers, partly due to lower stock prices and wages.The bill caps a fertile three months in which Congress has voted to improve veterans’ health benefits, gird the semiconductor industry, moderately strengthen gun restrictions for younger buyers, finance Ukraine's war with Russia and add Finland and Sweden to NATO. All passed with bipartisan support, suggesting Republicans also want to display their productive side.It's unclear voters will reward Democrats for the legislation after months of painfully high inflation dominating voters' attention. Though record gasoline prices have dipped, Biden's popularity dangles damagingly low and midterm elections have a consistent history of ending careers of lawmakers from the party that holds the White House.Democrats' economic bill had its roots in early 2021, after Congress approved a $1.9 trillion measure over GOP opposition to combat the pandemic-induced economic downturn. Emboldened, the new president and his party reached further.They initially produced an ambitious 10-year, $3.5 trillion environment and social plan they called Build Back Better. It featured free prekindergarten, paid family and medical leave, expanded Medicare benefits, increases for education and housing and an easing of immigration restrictions. It sought to roll back Trump-era tax breaks for the rich and corporations and proposed $555 billion for climate efforts, well above the resources in Friday's legislation.With Manchin opposing those amounts, it was sliced to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-immigration-joe-biden-health-lifestyle-bff841da156cb12cd47a564f9e0267eb">a roughly $2 trillion measure that Democrats moved through the House in November</a>. Just before Christmas, Manchin unexpectedly sank that bill, citing fears of inflation and international uncertainty and earning brickbats from exasperated fellow Democrats from Capitol Hill and the White House.With&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-joe-manchin-congress-government-and-politics-29a6a2cca519d402a54652d12881787f">on-and-off closed-door talks between Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.,</a>&nbsp;seemingly dying, the two lawmakers shocked Washington and announced agreement last month on the new, pared-down package.Manchin won billions for carbon capture technology for the fossil fuel industries he champions, plus procedures for more oil drilling on federal lands and promises for faster energy project permitting.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-kyrsten-sinema-joe-manchin-congress-c0d40a6f2490b2613a690995daca7e11">Centrist Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz.,</a>&nbsp;also used her leverage for late concessions, eliminating planned higher taxes on hedge fund managers and helping win the drought funds.

Congress OKs controversial $740B climate, health bill

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

SALINE COUNTY —A Kansas teen was injured in an accident just before 4:30p.m. Thursday in Saline County.

A 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac driven by a 15-year-old Saline County boy was northbound on S. Whitmore Road, just south of E. Cloud Street, according to Sheriff Roger Soldan.&nbsp;

The boy&nbsp; lost control of the pickup. It traveled&nbsp; into the east ditch and then rolled up over E. Cloud Street, coming to rest on the passenger side of the vehicle.

EMS transported the boy to Salina Regional Health Center. The sheriff's office released no additional details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660333260725.jpeg" alt="What's left of the pickup in the north ditch of E. Cloud Street. Photos courtesy Saline County Sheriff's Office" />
 <figcaption>What's left of the pickup in the north ditch of E. Cloud Street. Photos courtesy Saline County Sheriff's Office</figcaption>
 </figure>By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina PostSALINE COUNTY —A Kansas teen was injured in an accident just before 4:30p.m. Thursday in Saline County.A 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac driven by a 15-year-old Saline County boy was northbound on S. Whitmore Road, just south of E. Cloud Street, according to Sheriff Roger Soldan.&nbsp; The boy&nbsp; lost control of the pickup. It traveled&nbsp; into the east ditch and then rolled up over E. Cloud Street, coming to rest on the passenger side of the vehicle.EMS transported the boy to Salina Regional Health Center. The sheriff's office released no additional details.

15-year-old Kansas boy injured after pickup rollover accident

By TOM BOELLSTORFF <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-metaverse-isnt-here-yet-but-it-already-has-a-long-history-186083">The Conversation</a>

Nattie’s metaverse romance began with anonymous texting. At first “C”
 would admit only to living in a nearby town. Nattie eventually learned 
“Clem” was a man with a solitary office job like hers. For Nattie 
“lived, as it were, in two worlds” – the world of office tedium and an 
online world where “she did not lack social intercourse.”

Texting drew them closer: “annoyances became lighter because she told
 him, and he sympathized.” Nattie soon realized “she had woven a sort of
 romance about him who was a friend ‘so near and yet so far’.” Their 
blossoming relationship almost failed when Clem’s co-worker visited 
Nattie’s office pretending to be Clem, but the deceit was exposed in 
time for their “romance of dots and dashes” to succeed.

With that last sentence I gave away the ending to “<a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24353">Wired Love</a>,”
 source of the quotes above. Published in 1879, Ella Thayer’s novel of 
“the telegraphic world” makes remarkable predictions. Yet “Wired Love” 
is planted firmly during the time of what journalist Thomas Standage 
aptly termed the “<a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/victorian-internet-9781620405925/">Victorian Internet</a>.” Many aspects of the current metaverse were already familiar 143 years ago.

History is more than fun facts: It deeply shapes ways of thinking and acting. As an anthropologist who’s been <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&amp;user=uFsG9kcAAAAJ&amp;view_op=list_works&amp;sortby=pubdate">studying virtual worlds</a> for almost two decades, I’ve found that the metaverse’s rich past shapes what too often appears unprecedented.

This isn’t accidental. The contemporary metaverse is overwhelmingly 
owned and developed by corporations whose profit models demand focus on 
the Next Big Thing. This typically sidelines history – with massive 
financial and social implications. 

At its core, the metaverse is <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-we-describe-the-metaverse-makes-a-difference-todays-words-could-shape-tomorrows-reality-and-who-benefits-from-it-182819">defined by the concept of the virtual world</a>. As “Wired Love” illustrates, the telegraph and later the telephone constitute early virtual worlds.

Multi-user dungeons, or MUDs, arose in the second half of the 20th 
century. These virtual worlds appeared on local computer networks in the
 late 1970s, and entered dial-up internet services in the 1980s and 
1990s. Richard Bartle, co-creator of the first MUD, noted that by 1993 <a href="https://mud.co.uk/richard/DesigningVirtualWorlds.pdf">over 10% of all internet traffic</a> was on MUDs. Virtual worlds with graphics, including avatars, date back to <a href="http://www.fudco.com/chip/lessons.html">Habitat</a>, launched in 1985.

With advent of broadband in the 2000s, many key aspects of the 
contemporary metaverse became established. Longtime metaverse observers 
like Wagner James Au have <a href="https://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2022/06/sl-metaverse-history.html">repeatedly emphasized</a> how many “new” developments have rehashed long-standing debates.

Real estate and the laws of virtual physics

Consider what metaverse history reveals about virtual real estate. <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2022/06/26/theres-a-strong-bull-case-for-metaverse-real-estat/">Pundits enthuse</a> about the virtual “land rush” and emphasize location. For instance, virtual world <a href="https://www.sandbox.game/en/">The Sandbox</a> sells plots for around $2,300, but in December 2021 <a href="https://fortune.com/2021/12/09/snoop-dogg-rapper-metaverse-snoopverse/">someone paid $450,000</a> to purchase land <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61979150">next to a virtual mansion</a> owned by rap star Snoop Dogg.

Why the price spike? <a href="https://today.rtl.lu/news/business-and-tech/a/1935715.html">Co-founder Sebastien Borget explained</a>
 that The Sandbox has a finite number of plots, and people can access 
only adjacent plots. Thus, only a few people can own virtual land next 
to Snoop Dogg.

I believe that The Sandbox is deeply indebted to the virtual world 
Second Life, where spaces to practice building have been termed 
“sandboxes” since its 2002 launch.

Second Life originally had “point-to-point teleportation” (P2P). You 
could arrive anywhere in an instant. But in 2003 Linden Lab, the company
 that owns Second Life, disabled P2P. Residents trying to reach a 
destination would appear at the nearest “telehub.”

This had implications for real estate. Valuable for businesses and 
entertainment, plots of land near telehubs sold for top dollar — until 
2005, when <a href="https://lindenlab.wordpress.com/2005/11/27/formerly-known-as-telehubs/">Linden Lab suddenly announced</a> the end of telehubs and <a href="https://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2005/12/point_to_point_.html">the return of P2P</a>.

Land near former telehubs no longer had special value; <a href="http://alphavilleherald.com/2005/12/extra_extra_bar.html">some people lost thousands of dollars</a>. The most powerful landlord can’t change the laws of physics, but Linden Lab could literally recode scarcity out of existence.

Fast-forward almost 20 years. Land next to Snoop Dogg’s virtual 
mansion is scarce: A plot could cost $450,000 because The Sandbox 
doesn’t have P2P. But were the company to suddenly add P2P, that 
$450,000 investment could become nearly worthless. That pundits have 
tended to ignore this fact reveals the danger of forgetting metaverse 
history.

Another example of metaverse history’s importance concerns the idea 
of virtual environments. Virtual worlds don’t just connect places; 
they’re places in their own right. 

People <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1883/01/22/archives/playing-chess-by-telegraph.html">played chess using the telegraph</a> 150 years ago; those virtual chessboards weren’t located on either end of the wire. <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/101">In 1992 Bruce Sterling noted</a>
 that telephone calls don’t take place in your phone or in the other 
person’s phone. They take place in a virtual environment: “The place 
between the phones. The indefinite place out there, where the two of 
you, two human beings, actually meet and communicate.”

In 1990, <a href="https://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/index.php/jvwr/article/view/287">Habitat’s founders concluded</a>
 that the metaverse is defined more by the interactions among people 
within it than by the technology that creates it. They were particularly
 skeptical of virtual reality technologies, noting “the almost mystical 
euphoria that currently seems to surround all this hardware is, in our 
opinion, both excessive and somewhat misplaced.”

At issue isn’t VR’s potential, but the Matrix-like idea that sensory 
immersion is necessary to the metaverse in every instance. The key 
distinction is between <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691168340/coming-of-age-in-second-life">sensory immersion and social immersion</a>.
 The idea that virtual environments require VR misunderstands 
“immersion.” It’s also ableist, since not everyone can see or hear. The 
metaverse’s history indicates that social immersion is the metaverse’s 
foundation.

The metaverse has a long way to go, but it already has a long 
history. Proximity and immersion are just two examples of crucial topics
 this history can demystify. 

This is important because the current, rampant mystification isn’t 
accidental. The emerging version of the metaverse is overwhelmingly 
owned and developed by Big Tech. These companies seek to manufacture the
 perception that the metaverse is new and futuristic. But metaverse 
histories are real; they can reveal past mistakes and contribute to 
better virtual futures.

Tom Boellstorff is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660325983412.png" alt="As far back as the late ‘80s people could venture into a virtual online world. Screenshot of Habitat from Lucasfilm Games" />
 <figcaption>As far back as the late ‘80s people could venture into a virtual online world. Screenshot of Habitat from Lucasfilm Games</figcaption>
 </figure>By TOM BOELLSTORFF <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-metaverse-isnt-here-yet-but-it-already-has-a-long-history-186083">The Conversation</a>Nattie’s metaverse romance began with anonymous texting. At first “C”
 would admit only to living in a nearby town. Nattie eventually learned 
“Clem” was a man with a solitary office job like hers. For Nattie 
“lived, as it were, in two worlds” – the world of office tedium and an 
online world where “she did not lack social intercourse.”Texting drew them closer: “annoyances became lighter because she told
 him, and he sympathized.” Nattie soon realized “she had woven a sort of
 romance about him who was a friend ‘so near and yet so far’.” Their 
blossoming relationship almost failed when Clem’s co-worker visited 
Nattie’s office pretending to be Clem, but the deceit was exposed in 
time for their “romance of dots and dashes” to succeed.With that last sentence I gave away the ending to “<a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24353">Wired Love</a>,”
 source of the quotes above. Published in 1879, Ella Thayer’s novel of 
“the telegraphic world” makes remarkable predictions. Yet “Wired Love” 
is planted firmly during the time of what journalist Thomas Standage 
aptly termed the “<a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/victorian-internet-9781620405925/">Victorian Internet</a>.” Many aspects of the current metaverse were already familiar 143 years ago. <h2>What’s old is new</h2>History is more than fun facts: It deeply shapes ways of thinking and acting. As an anthropologist who’s been <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&amp;user=uFsG9kcAAAAJ&amp;view_op=list_works&amp;sortby=pubdate">studying virtual worlds</a> for almost two decades, I’ve found that the metaverse’s rich past shapes what too often appears unprecedented.This isn’t accidental. The contemporary metaverse is overwhelmingly 
owned and developed by corporations whose profit models demand focus on 
the Next Big Thing. This typically sidelines history – with massive 
financial and social implications. At its core, the metaverse is <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-we-describe-the-metaverse-makes-a-difference-todays-words-could-shape-tomorrows-reality-and-who-benefits-from-it-182819">defined by the concept of the virtual world</a>. As “Wired Love” illustrates, the telegraph and later the telephone constitute early virtual worlds. Multi-user dungeons, or MUDs, arose in the second half of the 20th 
century. These virtual worlds appeared on local computer networks in the
 late 1970s, and entered dial-up internet services in the 1980s and 
1990s. Richard Bartle, co-creator of the first MUD, noted that by 1993 <a href="https://mud.co.uk/richard/DesigningVirtualWorlds.pdf">over 10% of all internet traffic</a> was on MUDs. Virtual worlds with graphics, including avatars, date back to <a href="http://www.fudco.com/chip/lessons.html">Habitat</a>, launched in 1985.<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UWI8f9QpnR8"></iframe>
 <figcaption>Big media companies were already promoting their virtual world offerings in 1987.</figcaption>
 </figure>With advent of broadband in the 2000s, many key aspects of the 
contemporary metaverse became established. Longtime metaverse observers 
like Wagner James Au have <a href="https://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2022/06/sl-metaverse-history.html">repeatedly emphasized</a> how many “new” developments have rehashed long-standing debates.<h2>Real estate and the laws of virtual physics</h2>Consider what metaverse history reveals about virtual real estate. <a href="https://www.fool.com/investing/2022/06/26/theres-a-strong-bull-case-for-metaverse-real-estat/">Pundits enthuse</a> about the virtual “land rush” and emphasize location. For instance, virtual world <a href="https://www.sandbox.game/en/">The Sandbox</a> sells plots for around $2,300, but in December 2021 <a href="https://fortune.com/2021/12/09/snoop-dogg-rapper-metaverse-snoopverse/">someone paid $450,000</a> to purchase land <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-61979150">next to a virtual mansion</a> owned by rap star Snoop Dogg. Why the price spike? <a href="https://today.rtl.lu/news/business-and-tech/a/1935715.html">Co-founder Sebastien Borget explained</a>
 that The Sandbox has a finite number of plots, and people can access 
only adjacent plots. Thus, only a few people can own virtual land next 
to Snoop Dogg.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I’m entering the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/metaverse?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#metaverse</a> with <a href="https://twitter.com/TheSandboxGame?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheSandboxGame</a> !! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TSBxSnoopDogg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TSBxSnoopDogg</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NFT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NFT</a> <a href="https://t.co/DZvSV4NNSc">https://t.co/DZvSV4NNSc</a> <a href="https://t.co/zoa87iDhRl">pic.twitter.com/zoa87iDhRl</a>&mdash; Snoop Dogg (@SnoopDogg) <a href="https://twitter.com/SnoopDogg/status/1441076327948316686?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>I believe that The Sandbox is deeply indebted to the virtual world 
Second Life, where spaces to practice building have been termed 
“sandboxes” since its 2002 launch.Second Life originally had “point-to-point teleportation” (P2P). You 
could arrive anywhere in an instant. But in 2003 Linden Lab, the company
 that owns Second Life, disabled P2P. Residents trying to reach a 
destination would appear at the nearest “telehub.”This had implications for real estate. Valuable for businesses and 
entertainment, plots of land near telehubs sold for top dollar — until 
2005, when <a href="https://lindenlab.wordpress.com/2005/11/27/formerly-known-as-telehubs/">Linden Lab suddenly announced</a> the end of telehubs and <a href="https://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2005/12/point_to_point_.html">the return of P2P</a>. Land near former telehubs no longer had special value; <a href="http://alphavilleherald.com/2005/12/extra_extra_bar.html">some people lost thousands of dollars</a>. The most powerful landlord can’t change the laws of physics, but Linden Lab could literally recode scarcity out of existence.Fast-forward almost 20 years. Land next to Snoop Dogg’s virtual 
mansion is scarce: A plot could cost $450,000 because The Sandbox 
doesn’t have P2P. But were the company to suddenly add P2P, that 
$450,000 investment could become nearly worthless. That pundits have 
tended to ignore this fact reveals the danger of forgetting metaverse 
history.<h2>Immersion – sensory or social?</h2>Another example of metaverse history’s importance concerns the idea 
of virtual environments. Virtual worlds don’t just connect places; 
they’re places in their own right. People <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1883/01/22/archives/playing-chess-by-telegraph.html">played chess using the telegraph</a> 150 years ago; those virtual chessboards weren’t located on either end of the wire. <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/101">In 1992 Bruce Sterling noted</a>
 that telephone calls don’t take place in your phone or in the other 
person’s phone. They take place in a virtual environment: “The place 
between the phones. The indefinite place out there, where the two of 
you, two human beings, actually meet and communicate.”In 1990, <a href="https://journals.tdl.org/jvwr/index.php/jvwr/article/view/287">Habitat’s founders concluded</a>
 that the metaverse is defined more by the interactions among people 
within it than by the technology that creates it. They were particularly
 skeptical of virtual reality technologies, noting “the almost mystical 
euphoria that currently seems to surround all this hardware is, in our 
opinion, both excessive and somewhat misplaced.”At issue isn’t VR’s potential, but the Matrix-like idea that sensory 
immersion is necessary to the metaverse in every instance. The key 
distinction is between <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691168340/coming-of-age-in-second-life">sensory immersion and social immersion</a>.
 The idea that virtual environments require VR misunderstands 
“immersion.” It’s also ableist, since not everyone can see or hear. The 
metaverse’s history indicates that social immersion is the metaverse’s 
foundation. <h2>Learning from history</h2>The metaverse has a long way to go, but it already has a long 
history. Proximity and immersion are just two examples of crucial topics
 this history can demystify. This is important because the current, rampant mystification isn’t 
accidental. The emerging version of the metaverse is overwhelmingly 
owned and developed by Big Tech. These companies seek to manufacture the
 perception that the metaverse is new and futuristic. But metaverse 
histories are real; they can reveal past mistakes and contribute to 
better virtual futures.Tom Boellstorff is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine.<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186083/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1"></iframe></div>

The metaverse isn’t here yet, but it already has a long history

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-10/kansas-has-taken-in-a-green-industry-with-its-own-pollution-problems">Kansas News Service</a>

Panasonic’s decision to build a $4 billion factory for electric 
vehicle batteries in Johnson County could help an industry struggling to
 ramp up while reeling from an ailing supply chain.

The plant also
 underscores how an industry marketed as green comes with its own 
tough-to-solve environmental problems — like how to build a more easily 
recycled battery with a lower pollution footprint.

For now, 
salvaging the most valuable ingredients in electric batteries usually 
means shredding them and burning off certain ingredients or drenching 
them in acid.

“Nobody has come up with a good design that would be
 easily recyclable,” said Linda Gaines, a chemical physicist and 
transportation system analyst at the Argonne National Laboratory.

The
 fact that each manufacturer designs its batteries differently further 
complicates the chore of salvaging the remains of an old battery, she 
said.

“If you can actually recover the materials without breaking 
them down that far,” Gaines said, “you get a more valuable product with 
less energy use and less environmental impacts along the way.”

Argonne’s <a href="https://recellcenter.org/" target="_blank">ReCell Center</a> is among those looking for ways to achieve this.

The
 urgency to find an efficient and environmentally sound solution will 
grow as electric vehicles gobble up a bigger share of the auto market 
and today’s fleet ages.

“EV (electric vehicle) batteries haven’t 
been in service that long and they’re lasting quite well,” she said. “So
 there isn’t a huge waste stream yet.”

Knowing
 that scientists at institutions such as Argonne are racing to crack the
 riddle gives hope to Dorothy Barnett, executive director of the Climate
 + Energy Project based in Hutchinson, Kansas.

The group wants 
Kansas to grow its economy through environmentally friendly jobs. Kansas
 is already one of the nation’s top five producers of <a href="https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/wind/where-wind-power-is-harnessed.php" target="_blank">wind power</a>. The Panasonic plant will propel the state into another section of the green economy.

But even this industry will need to minimize its own environmental toll, Barnett said.

“For environmentalists, that’s a dilemma,” she said. “For all of us, it’s a dilemma.”

Much
 of the mining, smelting, manufacturing and battery recycling related to
 electric vehicles occurs far from Kansas, in other countries. These 
processes <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/02/climate/electric-vehicles-environment.html" target="_blank">use groundwater and produce pollution</a>.

Increasingly, the U.S. may see more of the supply chain move closer to home.

<a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/panasonic-build-ev-battery-plant-tesla-kansas-nikkei-2022-07-13/" target="_blank">Reuters says</a> Panasonic intends to at least triple its global battery output this decade, mainly by ramping up facilities in North America.

Lewis Fulton, an expert on energy policy at the University of California, Davis, sees a trend.

The
 federal climate bill that passed the Senate on Sunday presses carmakers
 eager to qualify for tax credits to assemble cars in North America and 
to source or recycle certain components here.

“We were already 
seeing more announced investments in the United States, both for vehicle
 production and for battery supply,” said Fulton, director of the 
university’s Sustainable Transportation Energy Pathways program. “We 
might just see that continuing to increase all the way up the supply 
chain.”

Manufacturers seem convinced it’s worth the investment.

“That’s
 all part of an expectation now on the part of the automobile industry 
that electric vehicles are here to stay,” Fulton said. “Their sales are 
growing rapidly. They’re booming right now in the second quarter of 
2022.”

Even when fossil fuels are involved in electricity 
generation, electric vehicles generally produce fewer emissions than 
their gas-burning counterparts. And as renewable energy — like all those
 wind farms across Kansas — fuels more of our electricity, the 
advantages of switching from gasoline-powered to electric cars will only
 increase.

After months of speculation, news became official last month that Panasonic would build its plant in De Soto.

Gov.
 Laura Kelly’s administration, with support from the Kansas Legislature,
 offered more than $800 million in incentives to the Japanese company. 
State leaders say the plant will bring thousands of jobs and $4 billion 
worth of investment.

Panasonic hasn’t divulged specifics — 
such as how many batteries the factory will churn out per year. It will 
supply batteries to Tesla Inc.

This spring, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/musk-says-teslas-new-car-factories-losing-billions-dollars-2022-06-22/" target="_blank">Tesla CEO Elon Musk said</a> battery shortages and other supply chain woes threw a wrench into his company’s operations, turning car factories into “gigantic money furnaces” burning through cash.

Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/panasonic-build-ev-battery-plant-tesla-kansas-nikkei-2022-07-13/" target="_blank">reported last month</a>
 that the Kansas plant could produce batteries for other carmakers, too,
 and would include a research wing focused on improving battery 
technology.

Celia Llopis-Jepsen is a reporter for the Kansas News Service. You 
can follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at celia@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660142440560.png" alt="Plastics and other materials from shredded lithium-ion batteries lie in piles. Argonne National Lab is trying to solve the puzzle of how best to recycle electric vehicle batteries. Mark Lopez / Argonne National Laboratory" />
 <figcaption>Plastics and other materials from shredded lithium-ion batteries lie in piles. Argonne National Lab is trying to solve the puzzle of how best to recycle electric vehicle batteries. Mark Lopez / Argonne National Laboratory</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-10/kansas-has-taken-in-a-green-industry-with-its-own-pollution-problems">Kansas News Service</a>Panasonic’s decision to build a $4 billion factory for electric 
vehicle batteries in Johnson County could help an industry struggling to
 ramp up while reeling from an ailing supply chain.The plant also
 underscores how an industry marketed as green comes with its own 
tough-to-solve environmental problems — like how to build a more easily 
recycled battery with a lower pollution footprint.For now, 
salvaging the most valuable ingredients in electric batteries usually 
means shredding them and burning off certain ingredients or drenching 
them in acid.“Nobody has come up with a good design that would be
 easily recyclable,” said Linda Gaines, a chemical physicist and 
transportation system analyst at the Argonne National Laboratory.The
 fact that each manufacturer designs its batteries differently further 
complicates the chore of salvaging the remains of an old battery, she 
said.“If you can actually recover the materials without breaking 
them down that far,” Gaines said, “you get a more valuable product with 
less energy use and less environmental impacts along the way.”Argonne’s <a href="https://recellcenter.org/" target="_blank">ReCell Center</a> is among those looking for ways to achieve this.The
 urgency to find an efficient and environmentally sound solution will 
grow as electric vehicles gobble up a bigger share of the auto market 
and today’s fleet ages.“EV (electric vehicle) batteries haven’t 
been in service that long and they’re lasting quite well,” she said. “So
 there isn’t a huge waste stream yet.”The supply chainKnowing
 that scientists at institutions such as Argonne are racing to crack the
 riddle gives hope to Dorothy Barnett, executive director of the Climate
 + Energy Project based in Hutchinson, Kansas.The group wants 
Kansas to grow its economy through environmentally friendly jobs. Kansas
 is already one of the nation’s top five producers of <a href="https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/wind/where-wind-power-is-harnessed.php" target="_blank">wind power</a>. The Panasonic plant will propel the state into another section of the green economy.But even this industry will need to minimize its own environmental toll, Barnett said.“For environmentalists, that’s a dilemma,” she said. “For all of us, it’s a dilemma.”Much
 of the mining, smelting, manufacturing and battery recycling related to
 electric vehicles occurs far from Kansas, in other countries. These 
processes <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/02/climate/electric-vehicles-environment.html" target="_blank">use groundwater and produce pollution</a>.Increasingly, the U.S. may see more of the supply chain move closer to home.<a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/panasonic-build-ev-battery-plant-tesla-kansas-nikkei-2022-07-13/" target="_blank">Reuters says</a> Panasonic intends to at least triple its global battery output this decade, mainly by ramping up facilities in North America.Lewis Fulton, an expert on energy policy at the University of California, Davis, sees a trend.The
 federal climate bill that passed the Senate on Sunday presses carmakers
 eager to qualify for tax credits to assemble cars in North America and 
to source or recycle certain components here.“We were already 
seeing more announced investments in the United States, both for vehicle
 production and for battery supply,” said Fulton, director of the 
university’s Sustainable Transportation Energy Pathways program. “We 
might just see that continuing to increase all the way up the supply 
chain.”Manufacturers seem convinced it’s worth the investment.“That’s
 all part of an expectation now on the part of the automobile industry 
that electric vehicles are here to stay,” Fulton said. “Their sales are 
growing rapidly. They’re booming right now in the second quarter of 
2022.”Even when fossil fuels are involved in electricity 
generation, electric vehicles generally produce fewer emissions than 
their gas-burning counterparts. And as renewable energy — like all those
 wind farms across Kansas — fuels more of our electricity, the 
advantages of switching from gasoline-powered to electric cars will only
 increase.Battery shortagesAfter months of speculation, news became official last month that Panasonic would build its plant in De Soto.Gov.
 Laura Kelly’s administration, with support from the Kansas Legislature,
 offered more than $800 million in incentives to the Japanese company. 
State leaders say the plant will bring thousands of jobs and $4 billion 
worth of investment.Panasonic hasn’t divulged specifics — 
such as how many batteries the factory will churn out per year. It will 
supply batteries to Tesla Inc.This spring, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/musk-says-teslas-new-car-factories-losing-billions-dollars-2022-06-22/" target="_blank">Tesla CEO Elon Musk said</a> battery shortages and other supply chain woes threw a wrench into his company’s operations, turning car factories into “gigantic money furnaces” burning through cash.Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/panasonic-build-ev-battery-plant-tesla-kansas-nikkei-2022-07-13/" target="_blank">reported last month</a>
 that the Kansas plant could produce batteries for other carmakers, too,
 and would include a research wing focused on improving battery 
technology.Celia Llopis-Jepsen is a reporter for the Kansas News Service. You 
can follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at celia@kcur.org.

Kansas takes in a green industry with its own pollution problems

PHOENIX (AP) — U.S. transportation officials announced $2.2 billion for local infrastructure projects on Thursday, paving the way for new bridges, roads, bike lanes, railways and ports in scores of communities across the country.

The competitive grants are more than double the amount awarded the previous year under the same program. The influx comes from a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-congress-infrastructure-bill-signing-b5b8cca843133de060778f049861b144">$1 trillion infrastructure law</a>&nbsp;backed by President Joe Biden, which provided an additional $7.5 billion over five years for the grants.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the projects would help modernize America's transportation systems.

“This is a program that recognizes many of the most interesting and compelling ideas and designs and plans aren’t going to come from Washington, but more of the funding should,” Buttigieg said. “That’s what we’re delivering here.”

Buttigieg traveled to Arizona to highlight projects in Phoenix and Tucson, each of which are receiving the maximum $25 million. In Phoenix, the money will help build a new bike and pedestrian bridge over the Rio Salado, connecting the city's southern area with downtown.

In Tucson, the money will revamp a prominent street and replace a 1960s-era vehicle bridge that's in poor condition. It also will add a separate bicycle and pedestrian bridge as part of what Mayor Regina Romero called “a transformative investment in Tucson's infrastructure."

While the Tucson project will expand the number lanes for motorists, some projects elsewhere will reduce them. For example, a $17 million grant will help narrow a five-lane road to three lanes in the Chicago suburb of Munster, Indiana, in an effort to decrease traffic crashes. The money also will fund a 10-foot-wide multi-purpose path along the street and plant more than 250 trees.

For many road improvement grants, “we’re doing it in mind of also benefitting the bike and pedestrian side,” Buttigieg said.

Other&nbsp;<a href="https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2022-08/RAISE%202022%20Award%20Fact%20Sheets.pdf">newly announced projects</a>&nbsp;in the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program also provide funding for bicycle and pedestrian paths.

Texas and Kansas are each receiving about $25 million for hiking and biking trails. Huntsville, Alabama, is getting $20 million to improve a pedestrian corridor linking downtown to isolated neighborhoods. Another $20 million is helping finance a new bike and pedestrian bridge over the Potomac River between Arlington, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

Buttigieg said the U.S. Department of Transportation received about $13 billion in grant applications.

A total of 166 projects across the country are getting a slice of the $2.2 billion. The funding marks a significant increase from the $983 million distributed among 90 projects in 2021. The allotment is the largest dating to 2009 for a program that has undergone multiple name and emphasis changes during the presidential administrations of Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

Though still substantial, the funding doesn't have quite the buying power as anticipated when the infrastructure legislation passed Congress last year. That's because&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-us-infrastructure-projects-e89dcd5f3e623e532353f087265f9a63">inflation has driven up the cost of key transportation construction materials</a>, such as steel plates for bridges and asphalt for paving roads.

This year's projects range from a new seawall and port improvements in Sitka, Alaska, to the construction of a four-lane parkway in the Virgin Islands.

Among other projects, New Jersey is getting $20 million to elevate a roadway that serves as a main evacuation route for Atlantic City and its casino industry. In Louisiana, $20 million will go toward the design and construction of two train stations along a planned route between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Whatcom County, Washington, will get $25 million to replace a 60-year-old ferry serving rural Lummi Island with an electric hybrid model.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660301423353.png" alt="Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the U.S. Department of Transportation received about $13 billion in grant applications.-photo courtesy city of Phoenix" />
 <figcaption>Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the U.S. Department of Transportation received about $13 billion in grant applications.-photo courtesy city of Phoenix</figcaption>
 </figure>PHOENIX (AP) — U.S. transportation officials announced $2.2 billion for local infrastructure projects on Thursday, paving the way for new bridges, roads, bike lanes, railways and ports in scores of communities across the country.The competitive grants are more than double the amount awarded the previous year under the same program. The influx comes from a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-congress-infrastructure-bill-signing-b5b8cca843133de060778f049861b144">$1 trillion infrastructure law</a>&nbsp;backed by President Joe Biden, which provided an additional $7.5 billion over five years for the grants.Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the projects would help modernize America's transportation systems.“This is a program that recognizes many of the most interesting and compelling ideas and designs and plans aren’t going to come from Washington, but more of the funding should,” Buttigieg said. “That’s what we’re delivering here.”Buttigieg traveled to Arizona to highlight projects in Phoenix and Tucson, each of which are receiving the maximum $25 million. In Phoenix, the money will help build a new bike and pedestrian bridge over the Rio Salado, connecting the city's southern area with downtown.In Tucson, the money will revamp a prominent street and replace a 1960s-era vehicle bridge that's in poor condition. It also will add a separate bicycle and pedestrian bridge as part of what Mayor Regina Romero called “a transformative investment in Tucson's infrastructure."While the Tucson project will expand the number lanes for motorists, some projects elsewhere will reduce them. For example, a $17 million grant will help narrow a five-lane road to three lanes in the Chicago suburb of Munster, Indiana, in an effort to decrease traffic crashes. The money also will fund a 10-foot-wide multi-purpose path along the street and plant more than 250 trees.For many road improvement grants, “we’re doing it in mind of also benefitting the bike and pedestrian side,” Buttigieg said.Other&nbsp;<a href="https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2022-08/RAISE%202022%20Award%20Fact%20Sheets.pdf">newly announced projects</a>&nbsp;in the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program also provide funding for bicycle and pedestrian paths.Texas and Kansas are each receiving about $25 million for hiking and biking trails. Huntsville, Alabama, is getting $20 million to improve a pedestrian corridor linking downtown to isolated neighborhoods. Another $20 million is helping finance a new bike and pedestrian bridge over the Potomac River between Arlington, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.Buttigieg said the U.S. Department of Transportation received about $13 billion in grant applications.A total of 166 projects across the country are getting a slice of the $2.2 billion. The funding marks a significant increase from the $983 million distributed among 90 projects in 2021. The allotment is the largest dating to 2009 for a program that has undergone multiple name and emphasis changes during the presidential administrations of Barack Obama and Donald Trump.Though still substantial, the funding doesn't have quite the buying power as anticipated when the infrastructure legislation passed Congress last year. That's because&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-us-infrastructure-projects-e89dcd5f3e623e532353f087265f9a63">inflation has driven up the cost of key transportation construction materials</a>, such as steel plates for bridges and asphalt for paving roads.This year's projects range from a new seawall and port improvements in Sitka, Alaska, to the construction of a four-lane parkway in the Virgin Islands.Among other projects, New Jersey is getting $20 million to elevate a roadway that serves as a main evacuation route for Atlantic City and its casino industry. In Louisiana, $20 million will go toward the design and construction of two train stations along a planned route between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Whatcom County, Washington, will get $25 million to replace a 60-year-old ferry serving rural Lummi Island with an electric hybrid model.

Kansas receiving $25M from USDOT for hiking, biking trails 

SALINA —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary at a Salina pizza restaurant and asking the public for help to find suspects.

On Thursday, police&nbsp;responded to report of a burglary at Little Caesars Pizza, 645 E. Crawford Street in Salina, according to a media release.

An employee arrived to open the business and discovered the front door was unlocked. The employee discovered unknown suspects entered the closed business overnight and gained access to the safe. Cash and the store’s surveillance system were stolen.

If you have any information concerning this incident or identification of the individuals involved, call Crimestoppers at 825-TIPS. You can also make an online tip at: <a href="https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=950#">https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=950#</a>. You may receive a cash reward of up to $1,000. Tipsters may also contact the Salina Police Department at (785) 826-7210, or Det. Jones, case 2022-23195.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660306193735.jpeg" alt="Little Caesars in Salina-&nbsp;Photo Crimestoppers" />
 <figcaption>Little Caesars in Salina-&nbsp;Photo Crimestoppers</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINA —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary at a Salina pizza restaurant and asking the public for help to find suspects.On Thursday, police&nbsp;responded to report of a burglary at Little Caesars Pizza, 645 E. Crawford Street in Salina, according to a media release.An employee arrived to open the business and discovered the front door was unlocked. The employee discovered unknown suspects entered the closed business overnight and gained access to the safe. Cash and the store’s surveillance system were stolen.If you have any information concerning this incident or identification of the individuals involved, call Crimestoppers at 825-TIPS. You can also make an online tip at: <a href="https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=950#">https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=950#</a>. You may receive a cash reward of up to $1,000. Tipsters may also contact the Salina Police Department at (785) 826-7210, or Det. Jones, case 2022-23195.

Police: Cash, security system taken from Salina restaurant

By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraskas-largest-cattle-feedlot-gets-ok-from-dundy-county-board/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — A proposal for the largest cattle feedlot in the state — a 
project estimated to cost $200 million — got the green light from a 
southwest Nebraska county on Thursday.

The Dundy County Board voted 3-0 to approve plans by Blackshirt 
Feeders to build a 150,000-head feedlot north of Haigler, near the 
Colorado-Nebraska state line.

The project will feature a digester to turn manure into methane, and 
will have a rolled concrete surface that Blackshirt officials say will 
cut down on dust and be easier to clean.

“This is going to be beyond a state 
of the art facility,” said Steve Mossman, a Lincoln attorney who 
represents Blackshirt Feeders.

The site north of Haigler was chosen 
after controversy arose about another proposed location in Dundy County,
 23 miles north of Benkelman.

The new location has fewer neighbors,
 better water and fewer road issues, according to Mossman, and all the 
property tax benefits will go to Dundy County schools.

Richard Bartholomew of Benkelman, the
 vice chairman of the Dundy County Board, said there were few negative 
comments about the new site.

“It’s kind of hard to predict the 
future, but we’re certainly hopeful that this will be a positive 
influence on our county, on our area,” Bartholomew said.

The facility, which will be built in 
three phases of 50,000-head capacity each, is projected to provide 65 
full-time jobs in Dundy County. The rural county of just under 2,000 
people is west of McCook, in the extreme southwest corner of Nebraska.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The facility is being developed by three Canadian veterinarians with 
experience in feedlots, including Dr. Eric Behlke, a native of 
Benkelman.

The approval came with nine conditions concerning groundwater 
testing, controlling flies and dust and proper disposal of dead 
livestock.

The facility still needs to gain permission from the local natural 
resources district and the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
 before it moves ahead.

Mossman said that 13 center-pivot irrigation systems in the vicinity 
of the proposed feedlot will be retired to transfer enough water for the
 project.

Among the concerns raised locally and elsewhere was the increasing 
size of such feeding operations, and whether it might push smaller 
livestock feedlots out of business. Mossman said a bigger issue is too 
much concentration in the meatpacking industry.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660313917702.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By PAUL HAMMEL <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/nebraskas-largest-cattle-feedlot-gets-ok-from-dundy-county-board/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — A proposal for the largest cattle feedlot in the state — a 
project estimated to cost $200 million — got the green light from a 
southwest Nebraska county on Thursday.The Dundy County Board voted 3-0 to approve plans by Blackshirt 
Feeders to build a 150,000-head feedlot north of Haigler, near the 
Colorado-Nebraska state line.The project will feature a digester to turn manure into methane, and 
will have a rolled concrete surface that Blackshirt officials say will 
cut down on dust and be easier to clean.<h2>‘Beyond state of the art’</h2>“This is going to be beyond a state 
of the art facility,” said Steve Mossman, a Lincoln attorney who 
represents Blackshirt Feeders.The site north of Haigler was chosen 
after controversy arose about another proposed location in Dundy County,
 23 miles north of Benkelman.The new location has fewer neighbors,
 better water and fewer road issues, according to Mossman, and all the 
property tax benefits will go to Dundy County schools.Richard Bartholomew of Benkelman, the
 vice chairman of the Dundy County Board, said there were few negative 
comments about the new site.<h2>Built in phases</h2>“It’s kind of hard to predict the 
future, but we’re certainly hopeful that this will be a positive 
influence on our county, on our area,” Bartholomew said.The facility, which will be built in 
three phases of 50,000-head capacity each, is projected to provide 65 
full-time jobs in Dundy County. The rural county of just under 2,000 
people is west of McCook, in the extreme southwest corner of Nebraska.&nbsp;&nbsp;The facility is being developed by three Canadian veterinarians with 
experience in feedlots, including Dr. Eric Behlke, a native of 
Benkelman.The approval came with nine conditions concerning groundwater 
testing, controlling flies and dust and proper disposal of dead 
livestock.<h2>Concern about smaller operations</h2>The facility still needs to gain permission from the local natural 
resources district and the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
 before it moves ahead.Mossman said that 13 center-pivot irrigation systems in the vicinity 
of the proposed feedlot will be retired to transfer enough water for the
 project.Among the concerns raised locally and elsewhere was the increasing 
size of such feeding operations, and whether it might push smaller 
livestock feedlots out of business. Mossman said a bigger issue is too 
much concentration in the meatpacking industry.

Nebraska’s largest cattle feedlot gets the green light

Geary County Historical Society has received two mammoth fossils.&nbsp; Heather Hagedorn, Historical Society Executive Director, said the fossils, one a partial tusk and one a partial femur, were both found on the banks of the Smoky Hill River in 2021 by the donor.

Mammoths, a prehistoric relative of the modern-day elephant lived in Kansas approximately 10,000-12,000 years ago. They are the most recent organism in the fossil record. The Geary County Historical Society’s collection already contains another mammoth bone, as well as a jawbone with four teeth. Both items were also discovered in local rivers.

All of these prehistoric fossils can be viewed now at the Geary County Museum, open Tuesday-Saturday 1-4pm.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660258492607.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By Dewey TerrillJC PostGeary County Historical Society has received two mammoth fossils.&nbsp; Heather Hagedorn, Historical Society Executive Director, said the fossils, one a partial tusk and one a partial femur, were both found on the banks of the Smoky Hill River in 2021 by the donor.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660258477279.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Mammoths, a prehistoric relative of the modern-day elephant lived in Kansas approximately 10,000-12,000 years ago. They are the most recent organism in the fossil record. The Geary County Historical Society’s collection already contains another mammoth bone, as well as a jawbone with four teeth. Both items were also discovered in local rivers.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660258308180.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>All of these prehistoric fossils can be viewed now at the Geary County Museum, open Tuesday-Saturday 1-4pm.

Mammoth fossils donated to the Geary Co. Historical Society

The Federal Trade Commission is sending 
payments totaling more than $9.7 million to 61,990 consumers who were 
charged hidden fees by LendingClub Corporation.

These payments are the result of a claims process conducted by the FTC in February 2022. It is the <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2022/01/ftc-returns-more-10-million-consumers-who-paid-hidden-fees-lendingclub">second distribution of funds</a> in this matter and brings the total amount refunded to consumers to more than $17.6 million.

Consumers who chose to 
receive a PayPal payment will have 30 days to accept it. Consumers who 
chose to receive a check will have 90 days to cash it. Recipients who
 have questions about their refund should call the refund administrator,
 Rust Consulting, Inc., at 833-630-1417. The Commission never requires 
people to pay money or provide account information to get a refund.

The FTC&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2018/04/ftc-charges-lending-club-deceiving-consumers-0">sued LendingClub in April 2018</a>,
 charging that the company falsely promised loan applicants that they 
would receive a specific loan amount with “no hidden fees,” when in 
reality the company deducted hundreds or even thousands of dollars in 
hidden up-front fees from the loans. The FTC also alleged that 
LendingClub told consumers they were approved for loans when they were 
not—which delayed applicants from seeking loans elsewhere—and took money
 from consumers’ bank accounts without authorization. <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2021/07/lendingclub-agrees-pay-18-million-settle-ftc-charges">LendingClub agreed to a settlement in July 2021</a>
 that bars them from making misrepresentations to loan applicants and 
requires that the company clearly and conspicuously disclose the amount 
of any fees and the total amount of funds that borrowers will receive.

<a>The Commission’s&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.ftc.gov/now-leaving?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2Fprofile%2Ffederal.trade.commission%23!%2Fvizhome%2FRefunds_15797958402020%2FRefundsbyCase&amp;back_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ftc.gov%2Fnews-events%2Fnews%2Fpress-releases%2F2022%2F08%2Ffederal-trade-commission-returns-more-97-million-consumers-harmed-lendingclubs-deceptive-hidden-fees">interactive dashboards for refund data</a>

&nbsp;provide
 a state-by-state breakdown of Commission refunds. In 2021, Commission 
actions led to more than $472 million in refunds to consumers across the
 country, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that the Commission 
lacks authority under Section 13(b) to seek monetary relief in federal 
court going forward. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/04/ftc-asks-congress-pass-legislation-reviving-agencys-authority">Commission has urged Congress</a>&nbsp;to restore the Commission’s ability to get money back for consumers.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619632629588.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FTCThe Federal Trade Commission is sending 
payments totaling more than $9.7 million to 61,990 consumers who were 
charged hidden fees by LendingClub Corporation.These payments are the result of a claims process conducted by the FTC in February 2022. It is the <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2022/01/ftc-returns-more-10-million-consumers-who-paid-hidden-fees-lendingclub">second distribution of funds</a> in this matter and brings the total amount refunded to consumers to more than $17.6 million. Consumers who chose to 
receive a PayPal payment will have 30 days to accept it. Consumers who 
chose to receive a check will have 90 days to cash it. Recipients who
 have questions about their refund should call the refund administrator,
 Rust Consulting, Inc., at 833-630-1417. The Commission never requires 
people to pay money or provide account information to get a refund.The FTC&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2018/04/ftc-charges-lending-club-deceiving-consumers-0">sued LendingClub in April 2018</a>,
 charging that the company falsely promised loan applicants that they 
would receive a specific loan amount with “no hidden fees,” when in 
reality the company deducted hundreds or even thousands of dollars in 
hidden up-front fees from the loans. The FTC also alleged that 
LendingClub told consumers they were approved for loans when they were 
not—which delayed applicants from seeking loans elsewhere—and took money
 from consumers’ bank accounts without authorization. <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2021/07/lendingclub-agrees-pay-18-million-settle-ftc-charges">LendingClub agreed to a settlement in July 2021</a>
 that bars them from making misrepresentations to loan applicants and 
requires that the company clearly and conspicuously disclose the amount 
of any fees and the total amount of funds that borrowers will receive.<a>The Commission’s&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.ftc.gov/now-leaving?external_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2Fprofile%2Ffederal.trade.commission%23!%2Fvizhome%2FRefunds_15797958402020%2FRefundsbyCase&amp;back_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ftc.gov%2Fnews-events%2Fnews%2Fpress-releases%2F2022%2F08%2Ffederal-trade-commission-returns-more-97-million-consumers-harmed-lendingclubs-deceptive-hidden-fees">interactive dashboards for refund data</a>&nbsp;provide
 a state-by-state breakdown of Commission refunds. In 2021, Commission 
actions led to more than $472 million in refunds to consumers across the
 country, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that the Commission 
lacks authority under Section 13(b) to seek monetary relief in federal 
court going forward. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/04/ftc-asks-congress-pass-legislation-reviving-agencys-authority">Commission has urged Congress</a>&nbsp;to restore the Commission’s ability to get money back for consumers.

FTC: Consumers will get $9.7M in 'hidden fees' returned

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating an attempted ATM theft have made one arrest.

Just after 5a.m. Thursday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received a burglary alarm at a bank in the 1700 block of North Washington Street in Auburn, Kansas, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

Deputies learned there was an attempted theft of an ATM. A K9 Unit located the suspect vehicle that refused to stop and a pursuit was initiated. The vehicle pursuit ended in the 5700 block of Southwest Urish Road and suspects fled.

The Shawnee County Sheriff's office asked residents from SW Fairlawn Road to Southwest Urish Road and Southwest 41st Street to Southwest 77th street, to be aware of any suspicious activity or individuals.

Just after 6p.m. Thursday , the sheriff's office reported they had arrested one suspect.&nbsp; Trimaine Munroe Baker, 35, is being held on requested charges of&nbsp;Agg criminal damage &gt;$5K; intent to obtain currency from automated cash dispenser/ATM, theft, burglary and&nbsp; Criminal damage to property; Without consent value $1000 to $25,000, according to online jail records.

"Thanks to assistance from citizens reporting timely information to deputies, the suspect was apprehended near Southwest&nbsp; 53rd Street and Southwest Wanamaker Road, " according to Christian.

At least one additional suspect is still outstanding.&nbsp; The sheriff's&nbsp; office K9 units and drone operators assisted in this search, along with the Kansas Highway Patrol’s Aircraft Unit and the Topeka Police Department.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660265229824.png" alt="The damaged ATM at Landmark Bank 1741 N. Washington in Auburn, Kansas --photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>The damaged ATM at Landmark Bank 1741 N. Washington in Auburn, Kansas --photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating an attempted ATM theft have made one arrest.Just after 5a.m. Thursday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received a burglary alarm at a bank in the 1700 block of North Washington Street in Auburn, Kansas, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.Deputies learned there was an attempted theft of an ATM. A K9 Unit located the suspect vehicle that refused to stop and a pursuit was initiated. The vehicle pursuit ended in the 5700 block of Southwest Urish Road and suspects fled.The Shawnee County Sheriff's office asked residents from SW Fairlawn Road to Southwest Urish Road and Southwest 41st Street to Southwest 77th street, to be aware of any suspicious activity or individuals.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660304454814.png" alt="Baker-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Baker-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 6p.m. Thursday , the sheriff's office reported they had arrested one suspect.&nbsp; Trimaine Munroe Baker, 35, is being held on requested charges of&nbsp;Agg criminal damage &gt;$5K; intent to obtain currency from automated cash dispenser/ATM, theft, burglary and&nbsp; Criminal damage to property; Without consent value $1000 to $25,000, according to online jail records."Thanks to assistance from citizens reporting timely information to deputies, the suspect was apprehended near Southwest&nbsp; 53rd Street and Southwest Wanamaker Road, " according to Christian.At least one additional suspect is still outstanding.&nbsp; The sheriff's&nbsp; office K9 units and drone operators assisted in this search, along with the Kansas Highway Patrol’s Aircraft Unit and the Topeka Police Department.

With tip from citizens, attempted Kan. ATM theft suspect captured

NEW YORK (AP) — The nation's top public health agency relaxed its COVID-19 guidelines Thursday, dropping the recommendation that Americans quarantine themselves if they come into close contact with an infected person.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said people no longer need to stay at least 6 feet away from others.

The changes, which come more than 2 1/2 years after the start of the pandemic, are driven by a recognition that an estimated 95% of Americans 16 and older have acquired some level of immunity, either from being vaccinated or infected, agency officials said.

“The current conditions of this pandemic are very different from those of the last two years,” said the CDC's Greta Massetti, an author of the guidelines.

Many places around the country long ago abandoned social distancing and other once-common precautions, but some of the changes could be particularly important for schools, which resume classes this month in many parts of the country.

Perhaps the biggest education-related change is the end of the recommendation that schools do routine daily testing, although that practice can be reinstated in certain situations during a surge in infections, officials said.

The CDC also dropped a “test-to-stay” recommendation, which said students exposed to COVID-19 could regularly test — instead of quarantining at home — to keep attending school. With no quarantine recommendation anymore, the testing option disappeared too.

Masks continue to be recommended only in areas where community transmission is deemed high, or if a person is considered at high risk of severe illness.

School districts across the U.S. have scaled back their COVID-19 precautions in recent weeks even before the latest guidance was issued. Some have promised a return to pre-pandemic schooling.

Masks will be optional in most districts when classes resume this fall, and some of the nation’s largest districts have dialed back or eliminated COVID-19 testing requirements.

Public schools in Los Angeles are ending weekly COVID-19 tests, instead making at-home tests available to families, the district announced last week. Schools in North Carolina's Wake County also dropped weekly testing.

Some others have moved away from test-to-stay programs that became unmanageable during surges of the omicron variant last school year.

The American Federation of Teachers, one of the nation's largest teachers unions, said it welcomes the guidance.

“Every educator and every parent starts every school year with great hope, and this year even more so,” President Randi Weingarten said. “After two years of uncertainty and disruption, we need as normal a year as possible so we can focus like a laser on what kids need.”

The new recommendations prioritize keeping children in school as much as possible, said Joseph Allen, director of Harvard University’s healthy building program. Previous isolation policies forced millions of students to stay home from school, he said, even though the virus poses a relatively low risk to young people.

“Entire classrooms of kids had to miss school if they were deemed a close contact,” he said. “The closed schools and learning disruption have been devastating.”

Others say the CDC is going too far in relaxing its guidelines.

Allowing students to return to school five days after infection, without proof of a negative COVID-19 test, could lead to outbreaks in schools, said Anne Sosin, a public health researcher at Dartmouth College. That could force entire schools to close temporarily if teachers get sick in large numbers, a dilemma that some schools faced last year.

“All of us want a stable school year, but wishful thinking is not the strategy for getting there,” she said. “If we want a return to normal in our schools, we have to invest in the conditions for that, not just drop everything haphazardly like we’re seeing across the country.”

The average numbers of reported COVID-19 cases and deaths have been relatively flat this summer, at around 100,000 cases a day and 300 to 400 deaths.

The CDC previously said that if people who are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations come into close contact with a person who tests positive, they should stay home for at least five days. Now the agency says quarantining at home is not necessary, but it urges those people to wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested after five.

The agency continues to say that people who test positive should isolate from others for at least five days, regardless of whether they were vaccinated. CDC officials advise that people can end isolation if they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication and they are without symptoms or the symptoms are improving.

Also on Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-0edbe09ddb0c4a2dc84d10689002e372">updated its recommendations</a>&nbsp;for how many times people exposed to COVID-19 should test.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628446595302.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — The nation's top public health agency relaxed its COVID-19 guidelines Thursday, dropping the recommendation that Americans quarantine themselves if they come into close contact with an infected person.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said people no longer need to stay at least 6 feet away from others.The changes, which come more than 2 1/2 years after the start of the pandemic, are driven by a recognition that an estimated 95% of Americans 16 and older have acquired some level of immunity, either from being vaccinated or infected, agency officials said.“The current conditions of this pandemic are very different from those of the last two years,” said the CDC's Greta Massetti, an author of the guidelines.Many places around the country long ago abandoned social distancing and other once-common precautions, but some of the changes could be particularly important for schools, which resume classes this month in many parts of the country.Perhaps the biggest education-related change is the end of the recommendation that schools do routine daily testing, although that practice can be reinstated in certain situations during a surge in infections, officials said.The CDC also dropped a “test-to-stay” recommendation, which said students exposed to COVID-19 could regularly test — instead of quarantining at home — to keep attending school. With no quarantine recommendation anymore, the testing option disappeared too.Masks continue to be recommended only in areas where community transmission is deemed high, or if a person is considered at high risk of severe illness.School districts across the U.S. have scaled back their COVID-19 precautions in recent weeks even before the latest guidance was issued. Some have promised a return to pre-pandemic schooling.Masks will be optional in most districts when classes resume this fall, and some of the nation’s largest districts have dialed back or eliminated COVID-19 testing requirements.Public schools in Los Angeles are ending weekly COVID-19 tests, instead making at-home tests available to families, the district announced last week. Schools in North Carolina's Wake County also dropped weekly testing.Some others have moved away from test-to-stay programs that became unmanageable during surges of the omicron variant last school year.The American Federation of Teachers, one of the nation's largest teachers unions, said it welcomes the guidance.“Every educator and every parent starts every school year with great hope, and this year even more so,” President Randi Weingarten said. “After two years of uncertainty and disruption, we need as normal a year as possible so we can focus like a laser on what kids need.”The new recommendations prioritize keeping children in school as much as possible, said Joseph Allen, director of Harvard University’s healthy building program. Previous isolation policies forced millions of students to stay home from school, he said, even though the virus poses a relatively low risk to young people.“Entire classrooms of kids had to miss school if they were deemed a close contact,” he said. “The closed schools and learning disruption have been devastating.”Others say the CDC is going too far in relaxing its guidelines.Allowing students to return to school five days after infection, without proof of a negative COVID-19 test, could lead to outbreaks in schools, said Anne Sosin, a public health researcher at Dartmouth College. That could force entire schools to close temporarily if teachers get sick in large numbers, a dilemma that some schools faced last year.“All of us want a stable school year, but wishful thinking is not the strategy for getting there,” she said. “If we want a return to normal in our schools, we have to invest in the conditions for that, not just drop everything haphazardly like we’re seeing across the country.”The average numbers of reported COVID-19 cases and deaths have been relatively flat this summer, at around 100,000 cases a day and 300 to 400 deaths.The CDC previously said that if people who are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccinations come into close contact with a person who tests positive, they should stay home for at least five days. Now the agency says quarantining at home is not necessary, but it urges those people to wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested after five.The agency continues to say that people who test positive should isolate from others for at least five days, regardless of whether they were vaccinated. CDC officials advise that people can end isolation if they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication and they are without symptoms or the symptoms are improving.Also on Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-science-health-0edbe09ddb0c4a2dc84d10689002e372">updated its recommendations</a>&nbsp;for how many times people exposed to COVID-19 should test.Previously, the FDA had advised taking two rapid antigen tests over two or three days to rule out infection. Now the agency recommends three tests.FDA officials said the change was based on new studies that suggest the old protocol can miss too many infections and result in people spreading the coronavirus, especially if they don’t develop symptoms.